This fact sheet addresses how HIV/AIDS have significantly increased the care burden for many women. Poverty and poor public services have also combined with AIDS to turn the care burden for women into a crisis with far-reaching social, health and economic consequences. The term 'care economy' is sometimes used to describe the many tasks carried out mostly by women and girls at home such as cooking, cleaning, fetching water and many other activities associated with caring for the young, sick and elderly in the household. The value of the time, energy and resources required to perform this unpaid work is hardly recognized and accounted for, despite its critical contribution to the overall economy and society in general.

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